1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus and methods relate to pulsed lasers and to fabricating waveguides with pulsed lasers.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, waveguides comprise optical pathways for propagating light within a medium such as, for example, within a slab. The waveguide may be fabricated by modifying a refractive index of a material in the medium. Examples of waveguides include channel waveguides that may be disposed at a surface of or buried within a substrate. Integrated optics with complicated 3-D architectures may be formed with such waveguides structures.
Waveguides may be fabricated by shining light into the medium to alter the physical state of the material and to modify the refractive index in the material. Waveguide writing may be accomplished by using lasers and, in particular, pulsed lasers. Unfortunately, waveguide writing is a complex process. The process may not be feasible for many waveguide materials using commercially available laser systems. Accordingly, additional apparatus and methods are needed that enable waveguide writing with laser light.